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 St. George's Golden Ale
by erik lars myers
 Brewer: The St. George Brewing Company, Hampton, VA
Style: Golden Ale
This beer affirms to me America's love affair with hops.
To me, it's a good example of slight awryness. Most often, when you hear of something going awry, it's gone horribly awry. Far be it from me to cast that kind of dispersion on a fine ale such as this. No, this is a good ale that's merely gone slightly awry.
I should have known when I picked up the six pack, really. It says on it, "St. George's Golden Ale is based on an old British recipe, but with an American twist -- a slightly sweet, malty flavor with a citrusy finish."
Yum, I thought. Malt. Citrusy. How could it possibly go wrong?
Alas, I overlooked the word "American."
Not to say American beers are bad, American beers are often excellent, but when used as a descriptor to a twist, I've come to learn that, unless we're talking about the Beatles, it almost always means, "with just a touch too much hops."
On St. George's Golden Ale, you've got just a slight touch of hops in the nose, and then wham! It hits you on the taste. The first thing you taste is hops and the last thing you taste is hops. Underneath it all, there's a great ale trying to get out, but it can't quite overcome those itsy little flowers.
It's not hoppy enough to match an IPA, but it's not really malty enough to be an old British ale, either.
I think it was a good idea. Updating old recipes to new standards is a great thing. Unfortunately, I think this one didn't quite make it.
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